Man Utd face ‘tricky’ mid-season test – Amorim’s squad must be ‘good enough’ to cope

Jason Soutar
Man Utd forward Bryan Mbeumo celebrates his goal
Man Utd forward Bryan Mbeumo celebrates his goal

Bryan Mbeumo will be a significant miss when he heads to the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon, but Owen Hargreaves reckons Manchester United are “good enough” to cope.

The United winger scored his fifth Premier League goal of the season against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and has been one of Ruben Amorim’s best players in 2025/26.

Man Utd in 2025/26 Premier League

Mbeumo has six goals in 12 matches for Man Utd after completing a £65million move from Brentford in the summer transfer window.

After only scoring once in his first seven Premier League games, question marks were being raised about Mbeumo’s ability to perform for a big club.

But he’s now bagged four in as many games and is becoming increasingly influential under Amorim.

There’s one slight problem: Mbeumo will go to AFCON in mid-December and might not return until late January.

What Man Utd games will Mbeumo miss due to AFCON?

The tournament kicks off on December 21, and Cameroon’s first match is against Gabon two days later.

Should Mbeumo go to AFCON, he will likely miss Man Utd’s Premier League match against Aston Villa and will definitely miss games against Newcastle United (home) and Wolves (home).

If Cameroon progress from a group consisting of themselves, Gabon, Ivory Coast and Mozambique, Mbeumo will also miss the trip to Leeds United.

Should Cameroon reach the final, he would miss Burnley away (January 7), Manchester City at home (January 17), and the third round of the FA Cup (weekend starting January 10).

So, the fewest number of games Mbeumo will miss is two, though that relies on him joining up with the Cameroon squad less than 48 hours before their first match.

The most games he could miss is six Premier League fixtures and seven in total. That’s a fair whack.

AFCON schedule

  • Group stage: December 21-31
  • Round of 16: January 3-6
  • Quarter-finals: January 9-10
  • Semi-finals: January 14
  • Third-place play-off: January 17
  • Final: January 18

Man Utd ‘good enough’ to cope with AFCON absences

Mbeumo will be a big miss for Man Utd, but he’s not the only one expected to be away.

Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui are also likely to represent their countries at AFCON, with the former potentially being a loss on the same level as Mbeumo.

Discussing those absences, former Man Utd midfielder Owen Hargreaves admitted it will be “tricky” for Amorim, but believes the squad is “good enough” to cope.

He said: “I mean, that’s going to be tricky, but again, hopefully without so many games, they can keep the squad healthy and rotate players. [Benjamin] Sesko is an interesting one – they’ll need him, but we’ll have to see what happens with that injury.

“I think the squad’s good enough, and without European football – I know it’s a miss for the club – but it could actually help them get back into the top four. Let’s not forget, it’s probably top five this season, and if they get back into the Champions League places, then that’s been a good season.”

Can Man Utd cope without Mbeumo and Amad?

Mbeumo has been available every matchday and is growing increasingly influential. Amad, meanwhile, is also consistently showing his importance as Amorim’s first-choice right-wing-back, though he started in an attacking role against Spurs on Saturday.

Both players are key, and Mazraoui is a solid depth option, so their absence will be felt. But if the whole project comes crashing down without them, serious questions will be asked of Amorim and his squad. Realistically, a club with such large transfer expenditure over the last three years has no excuse not to cope.

In terms of replacements, you’d expect Mason Mount to start regularly if he’s fit. That’s hardly a huge downgrade, though he’s a very different player and much less of a goal threat. Joshua Zirkzee is another option and has barely featured this season, so he’ll expect more minutes during the AFCON period.

As for Amad, Diogo Dalot likely fills in at right-wing-back, especially with Mazraoui away as well.

TL;DR: Yes, and it’ll be bloody embarrassing if they don’t cope.

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Manchester United Bryan Mbeumo

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